To Walk
by D3athrav3n92
Summary: After crossing through the gate, Edward and Alphonse find themselves in a very strange place...talking to a certain, strange, black-haired, bespectacled boy. Edward, so I think you know what this story is going to be rated...
1. Chapter 1

**D3ath: NOOO!! LET ME SAY SOMETHING!! (flails)**

**Ed: (shoves her into a closet) NOT UNTIL YOUR SUGAR HIGH IS OVER, DAMMIT!!**

**Al: …she doesn't own us…**

**Ed: (scowling) and everything will be explained in due time. So don't send us any damn reviews asking us what's going to happen. That's why this is the FIRST DAMN CHAPTER. It's not supposed to explain everything in the first paragraph, understood?**

**Al: Brother, don't scare them! (bows hastily) You're welcome to review!**

* * *

"Nragh…" a figure lay in the grass, unmoving. Beside him, the smoking remains of an aircraft (or what used to be one) sat there, covered in a black, sticky substance that trailed from the wings, to the old-fashioned propeller, to the remains of the plane scattered about on the ground. Bits of armor was spread out among the ground, also covered in the strange, dark material. The figure stirred, and groaned, opening golden eyes to stare up at the darkening sky. "What…"

"He's awake!"

* * *

The five children and the elderly man had looked up, startled, at the large rumble and the sudden quake. The cooking pot fell out of the man's hand, and blue eyes narrowed from behind glasses. A small blonde girl raised an eyebrow.

"What was that?" exclaimed a large, dark boy, a piece of carrot falling out of his mouth.

"It could've been an earthquake," a tall, skinny boy with freckles said, ever practical.

The small boy with glasses shook his head. "I don't think so," he said seriously, glancing around. "I doubt that an earthquake would make a noise like that."

"What is it then, Edogawa-kun?" the blonde inquired quietly, folding her arms. He shrugged wordlessly, his gaze fixed in the direction of the rumble. She smirked. "You want to…ah, investigate, don't you?"

"Let's go!" a black-haired girl cheered. The elderly man adjusted his round glasses and picked up the fallen pot.

"I think we should wait until the police arrive, Ayumi-chan," he said, but the others paid no heed.

"Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" they chanted, hopping around in a circle. The black-haired boy with glasses sighed as the blonde watched them with a shake of her head. The elderly man sighed.

"Alright; Conan-kun, why don't you go with them while Ai-chan and I clean up? We'll meet you four later."

The bespectacled boy nodded, and the three other children cheered, taking off through the woods. He sweatdropped. "Oi, oi, hold on!"

Ai watched them leave, frowning before she picked the empty plates. "I'll wash, you dry," she said to the elderly man, before turning to the water faucet.

* * *

"Wah…" the three children looked up at the plane in wonder.

"It looks like a spaceship!' exclaimed Ayumi, her eyes wide.

"That's impossible," Mitsuhiko said in disbelief, shock on his face as he stared up.

Genta only looked at it in awe, gaping.

Conan looked around sharply, taking in the condition of the large plane and the gooey substance splattered among it. "What is this…?" he murmured, taking out a handkerchief and grabbing a piece of the material, wrapping it in the handkerchief for later inspection; it was an old habit of his. He heard a groan, and whirled around to see a figure lying amongst the remains of the plane and the black material. He stirred, and Conan hurried up to him while the other kids glanced over, startled to see someone alive. Quickly, Conan checked his pulse and the condition of his body; he looked to be in good shape, if he wasn't unconscious.

"What…?" he mumbled in English, golden eyes opening, and Conan turned to the others.

"He's awake!" he called in Japanese, and the others nodded in relief, before turning to the suit of armor they were inspecting, talking in hushed voices.

"Do you think he's an alien?"

"No. And what's with all of the suits of armor?"

"Wah! This one looks so cool!"

The golden-eyed boy struggled to sit up, and Conan noted with surprise how the stranger was dressed. He looked to be only sixteen or so, but he was dressed like someone from the early twentieth century. He winced as he pulled himself into a sitting position, holding his head. He looked at the black-haired boy in confusion. "What…what happened?"

"Your plane crashed—" Conan checked his watch "—fifteen minutes ago. Are you the only survivor?"

"I- I don't know…Where am I…?" he mumbled, looking up at the orange-tinged sky. "How—"

"You're on Mount Shiro," Conan supplied, frowning. Confusion flickered across his face.

"Huh?"

"Mount Shiro, Japan, right next to Tokyo."

Golden eyes widened, and he jumped up swiftly, much to Conan's surprise. "Japan? How the hell am I in Japan?" He paused for a moment, taking in the situation. "Did…did the gate…?" he trailed off, spotting Conan. "Hold on," he ordered, and strode briskly to the plane. The three children watched as he stepped in, and all was quiet before he stepped back out. "She's dead," he sighed, leaning against the plane. "Must've been from the crash…"

"Where are you from, niisan?" Ayumi asked, her blue eyes wide as she looked up at the blonde teen. He stared at her in confusion, before glancing at Conan.

"What'd she say?" said the blonde, frowning.

"She wants to know where you're from."

"Oh…I'm from Germany." He waited patiently as Conan translated, before talking. "Kid, when's the next boat to Munich?"

Conan frowned. "Wouldn't it be faster to take a plane?" he asked, blue eyes narrowing from behind overlarge glasses.

"But planes hardly work, other than the ones used during World war one!" the blonde snapped, folding his arms. "But I doubt I'd be able to get a fighter plane to take me!"

"What are you talking about?" Conan asked, flabbergasted. "We use planes for travel all the time, and not just for fighting."

Now it was the blonde's turn to be stunned. "Huh? They've made planes for travel? Since when?"

"Ever since after World War two," Conan retorted. "How long have you been living in a cave?"

The three children watched the other two, completely at a loss about what was being talked about. Ayumi turned her attention back to the suit of armor they were investigating earlier, when she noticed something. It seemed to be _moving_…

Everyone jumped as Ayumi let out a shriek, and whirled around as the suit of armor spoke.

"I didn't mean to scare her…" a voice said apologetically, in English. Surprise flitted across the blonde's face as he strode over to the armor, leaning down over it, tapping the helmet.

"So, you've attached your soul to a suit of armor again, Al?" he asked with a weary smile, his golden eyes flashing in amusement. "How long is this one going to last--?" his eyes widened as the helmet fell off, and a boy, around the age of fourteen, with dark blonde hair and gray eyes, looked up at the blonde, grinning cheekily.

The first blonde stumbled back in shock. "Al…?" he whispered, the color draining from his face. "When did you—how—"

Al began to unfasten the breastplate on the armor, climbing out. "General Mustang allowed me to jump on at the last second, brother," he said cheerfully, stretching. "I was able to climb on at the last second, and I hid in the armor over there," he said, nodding at the empty suit of armor. "Now we can have adventures and travel together, just like we used to do during our search."

The blonde gaped at Al for a moment. "You've gotten your memory back…?"

Al nodded happily. "Yep," he said, smiling gently. He turned towards the children. "Hey, brother, why are we in Japan…?" his face darkened. "Did he say world war two?"

Mitsuhiko tapped the boy with glasses on the shoulder, talking in rapid Japanese as the other two gaped. The bespectacled boy nodded seriously before turning back to the two brothers.

"He wants to know why you're dressed so oddly," he said, frowning. "And what you've been saying so far…" his blue eyes flashed. "You talk about World War One, but you don't know about World War Two? And the whole thing about soul attachment…to the suit of armor…what are you talking about?"

The brothers traded uneasy looks. "I don't think you'd understand," Al said carefully, smiling down at the four children. "It's very complicated…" he grinned sheepishly at his brother before he grew serious. "Brother…what are we going to do about Eckhardt?"

The blonde sighed and ran a hand through his golden ponytail. "Bury her, I guess," he said quietly. "She died upon impact, apparently…or, you know…the g-" he stopped, seeing the suspicious look on the small boy's face. "-the grating on the armor she was wearing," he said hastily, covering up his slight blunder. Al nodded, understanding fluttering across his face before his expression became neutral. "C'mon, Al," the blonde muttered, beckoning to the younger brother, "let's get started."

"Conan-kun, what were they talking about?" Ayumi asked, curiosity apparent on her face as she watched the brothers go in. Her eyes widened as she saw the woman they carried out, and she gasped. "Conan-kun, is she--?"

"It seems as if she died from the impact of the plane," Conan said seriously, carefully watching the brothers. "I'm going to call the police, though, just in case." Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta nodded solemnly as they watched the brothers bury the blonde woman in the armor.

* * *

**D3ath: yeah…(sweadrops) sorry about that little…display earlier. I was kinda…**

**Ed: idiotic.**

**D3ath: No I wasn't! I was just on a little sugar high, that's all!**

**Ed: just a little…? You've got to be fuckin' kidding me.**

**Al: brother! **

**Conan: (scowling as D3ath glomps him) review please…(twitch) Can you PLEASE get off?!**

**D3ath: But you're so kawaii!! (spots Conan's watch) AUGH! OKAY!! I'LL GET OFF!! (tries to get away but is shot with watch).**


	2. Chapter 2

**D3ath: Yes, another long wait, I apologize for that…I shattered my shoulder bone, so it's really hard to type one handed…and there's really no point in explaining what happened…so here's the new chapter!**

**Al: Thank you, _chibi-chan-san, Giant-flying-radish-of-doom, gundamzbd36, sunago, Dragon Flute Witch, nataeiyl, princessangelina, and Alc3mist (_oh, D3ath-san was really happy that you liked her other story, too). **

**Ed: We honestly didn't expect that many reviews. (Is totally shocked)**

**D3ath: Thank you so much!! Sorry it took so long…I don't own DC or FMA. Just the storyline of this fanfic :D**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"Brother, what are we going to do?" Alphonse whispered as police lights reflected off of the trees. "They're going to arrest us!"

Edward shook his head. "They can't. There's nothing showing that we killed her. She died because of the gate. They're going to check her again and again, but they're going to find nothing. They'll probably brush it off as heart attack or something."

Al smiled in relief. He hadn't thought of that.

"Edward and Alphonse Elric?" They turned around when they heard the badly accented English. "What you—" the man shook his head, said something in Japanese, and the little boy, Conan, spoke.

"He wants to know where you're from," the little boy said. Edward frowned. Something was off about him. From a glance at Al, he seemed to think something was suspicious about him too.

"Munich, Germany, and before that, London, England," Edward said calmly. The mustached man said something else, and Conan spoke again, light reflecting off of his overlarge glasses.

"He wanted to know why you were on the plane," he said sharply. Edward thought furiously, aware that everyone's eyes were on him.

"I was testing it out," he said with a grin, ignoring his brother as the younger blonde stiffened. "My friend and I made it, and I tested it, but my younger brother jumped on at the last second. Eckhardt was helping me test it, too, before she died." He jerked a gloved hand at the remains of the plane behind him. Al let out a small sigh. _Good thinking, brother_.

Conan's eyes narrowed. "How do you explain the black substance then?" he asked suspiciously, and Edward stared at him, at a loss of what he was going to say. Finally, the blonde shook his head.

"I honestly don't know how," he admitted truthfully. _That kid's never going to believe me when I talk about the gate and such. I'll just let him think I don't know what it is,_ the blonde thought with a sigh.

* * *

Conan was busy interrogating the two brothers for Inspector Megure when an officer hurried up. He saluted.

"Megure-keibu," he said respectfully. Megure nodded at him, and the man continued. "We investigated the body, and there's no signs that she was killed. She suspect a heart attack, but her face is strange."

"How so?" Megure asked, now interested. From behind him, Conan raised an eyebrow.

"If she had a heart attack, she would've looked like she was in pain. But there's nothing that indicates that," the man explained.

"Poison?" Megure suggested, but the man shook his head.

"There's nothing that indicates that, either," he said. "It just looks like she died of natural causes, but she looks too young for that, too."

"Hmm…thank you for your hard work. You're dismissed," Megure said with a nod. The man saluted.

"Hai!" he turned and hurried back to the forensics group as they loaded the body into a car.

Conan's mind went through the information he had just received. _Looks like she died of natural causes, but he was right, she was too young for that…there's nothing that indicates poison…wait a minute. 'Nothing that indicates poison'? Didn't Haibara say something like that when I first met her…?_

_**—Flashback of Sorts—**_

Haibara faced him, a glint in her silver-blue eyes. "That drug is a kind of mysterious poison that is supposed to terminate the cell's life immediately, thus being able to kill with no trace," she said, smirking. "But for some reasons, instead of killing you, it made your cells smaller, aside from the central nervous system. It shrank you down back to when you were a child…"

—_**End of Flashback**_—

Conan's eyes snapped open. _It can't be! Those guys_— he glanced at Edward and Alphonse fearfully. They were talking in low voices, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Megure approached the two boys, and Conan felt a cold feeling creep up his spine. _They're a part of the syndicate?! Haibara_— he pulled out his cell phone, and dialed a familiar number.

Agasa's voice picked it up. "_Moshi moshi?"_

"Agasa-hakase, I need to speak to Haibara, now!" Conan hissed, glancing back at the two brothers.

There was silence for a moment, before Haibara's voice rang though. _"What is it, Kudou-kun?"_

"Haibara…I think _they've_ developed the ultimate poison…"

* * *

Edward scowled as Megure approached them. He said something in Japanese, and tried to motion furiously with his hands. He looked around, probably looking for the little boy who could translate so well, and when he did not see him, he sighed, and tried to motion at them again.

"I think he wants us to come with him," Al whispered. Ed nodded, and took a step towards the larger man. Megure nodded in satisfaction, before turning away and striding purposefully towards the edge of the clearing. He looked back, to see if the two were following, and walked up to his car, opening the door and beckoning inside.

"I think he wants us to go in," Al said.

"Yes, I understand that, Al. Thank you for pointing out the obvious."

Al grinned, grateful to be with his brother once again.

* * *

"Are you sure, Kudou-kun?" Haibara asked quietly when they were back at the campground. Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko were excitedly relaying their adventure to Dr. Agasa as Conan pulled Haibara off to the side. He nodded.

"They seem very suspicious, Kudou-kun," the small blonde said, turning towards him. "But how do you know for sure?"

"It's the death, I'm sure of it!" Conan said furiously. He clenched his fist. That organization was going to pay for making him live like this. "Everything fits! There was nothing that showed that she had even died at all, other than the fact that she was dead!"

"Keep your voice down, Kudou-kun," Haibara said quietly, casting a wary eye over the _real_ children of the group. "You'll get others involved."

He let out a sigh. "Fine. But how am I going to be able to keep an eye on them?"

Conan's phone rang, and he frowned, glancing at Haibara. She nodded, and he opened the phone. "Moshi moshi?"

"_Ah, Kudou_!"

He let out an exasperated sigh. "Hattori, I'm a little busy right now," he groaned.

"_Actually, I was going to tell you…one of __**them's**__ been apprehended."_

Conan jerked upright. "So those two that I found earlier—"

"_What the hell are ya talking 'bout?_" Heiji demanded. _"We found him in an alley—he isn't saying anything 'bout the syndicate, but Dad's suspecting him of a bunch of things…he's been brought in before, apparently, a long time ago when dad was a greenhorn. So, what were ya talking 'bout?"_

"We found a plane crashed in the woods during our campout, and these two guys. There was a woman with them, but she was dead," Conan relayed in a low voice. He recounted the entire episode, and finally Hattori spoke.

"_What'd he mean, 'attaching your soul to the suit of armor again'? That's impossible, if ya don't believe in ghosts or magic or anythin'."_

"I know about that, but what do you think about the poison?" Conan asked.

"_I just think that's a coincidence, Kudou. I think you're overreacting, like usual."_

Conan colored furiously. "Am not!"

"Conan-kun, if you're using the phone, you should use it properly," Mitsuhiko chided.

Genta folded his arms. "Who're you talking to, anyways?"

"That idiot from Osaka," Conan mumbled.

"_Hey! I heard that! You're the aho!"_

"Hattori, I'm not going to involve myself within you and your girlfriend's nickname game," Conan said wearily.

"_She's not my girl—"_ Conan hung up. Haibara eyed him balefully.

"He's going to yell at you later for that," she commented, and he shrugged, obviously still thinking about his conversation.

* * *

Edward sat next to Alphonse in the waiting room at the Tokyo police station. He tapped his foot, feeling the metal gears shift in his leg as he moved it. He fingered with his gloves, and sighed. He hadn't had decent replacement limbs since he first appeared in Germany. But when he first arrived…it was strange. It just turned into simple prosthetics. Now, it was the same as the prosthetics that Winry had given him. His eyes softened. Winry…

Al saw his expression and grinned. "Thinking about Winry again, brother?"

Ed jerked his head upright, staring at his brother. He knew his cheeks were probably flaming right now. Al grinned cheekily. "You are!" he accused, and Ed shook his head frantically.

"No, I wasn't! I was thinking about my automail—" he blustered.

"—which eventually lead to you thinking about Winry," teased Al. "Come on, admit it, brother. You liiiiike—"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" yelled Ed, swinging at his brother. His brother blocked it with his arm, and retaliated playfully. He was aiming at his brother's shoulder, but his arm was grabbed and he was forced to kick out.

Something grabbed him by the back of his red jacket, and they were yanked apart.

"Enough!" said a woman. She had short black hair, and she was wearing an office skirt and blouse. A man held Edward, and the blonde was grinning at his brother.

"Just like old times, right Al?" he asked, and Al smiled back. The woman shook him roughly.

"This isn't the time to be fighting," she scolded, and Al looked up at her with a smile.

"We didn't mean to bother you," he said politely. "We were just playing."

The woman frowned at him. "Just don't do that. Takagi-kun, arigatou."

The man nodded, and spoke in rapid Japanese. She responded, then turned to the two blondes. "We're finished, and you two can go home."

"Uh—" the brothers traded looks. The officer frowned.

"Let me guess; you two don't have one," she said casually, and Alphonse grinned sheepishly. Edward glared at the floor.

She sighed, and turned towards the man she addressed as Takagi, speaking quickly. He nodded, and she turned back towards the two. "You'll be staying with Takagi-kun. He speaks a little English, so I'm sure you'll be fine with him." The two nodded, and Takagi cleared his throat.

"Ano…You come…with, uh—" he shook his head.

Alphonse smiled. "We understand, Takagi-keiji."

The man looked surprised for a moment at Al's quick learning, before shrugging and beckoning to them. Edward sighed. It was going to be a long day…

* * *

"How could you let this happen?" Vermouth demanded, her eyes glinting with pure evil. The man before her stuttered and struggled for an answer. Vermouth tapped a finger against her drawn gun. "I'm waiting for an answer, Fox."

Fox cowered against the wall. "We were only doing our job! It was Bear's fault! You know how much he likes to kill!"

Vermouth glowered. "I wasn't asking for an excuse, Fox. I was asking what had happened, not who did it."

Fox gulped. He was in deep shit now. He bowed his head. "We were about to leave, but Bear wanted to check to make sure there was no one there. But he accidentally set off the alarm, and so I left, because I knew that he would be too stupid to say anything important or vital."

There was a bang, and Fox shrieked as he crumpled against the wall, blood pouring out of a bullet wound in his right shoulder. Vermouth's eyes glittered with pure malice.

"Of all the stupidity!" she shouted, and she hit the man in the face with the butt of her gun. "Do you know of the danger you put us in?!" she hissed.

Fox whimpered, holding his wounded shoulder. "I'm sorry!"

"Now the police know of our existence!" Vermouth raged. She wasn't one to losing her temper, but this was a special case. "Bear will be too stupid to realize the circumstance of just saying where he's from!"

"Vermouth-san…" Vermouth glanced at the shadows, to see a man sitting there.

"What is it, Raven?" she snapped. The man bowed, his long black hair falling over his shoulders. Narrow eyes watched the redheaded Fox and he smirked.

"It seems as if Bear hasn't given away any information," he said softly, and Vermouth nodded. "I have heard it from Hawk, who's in the Osakan Police force."

"Will he be able to silence Bear?" Vermouth asked abruptly. Raven nodded. She turned towards Fox. "Looks like it wasn't a complete failure," she said, and Fox nearly collapsed with relief. "Fox, you're now in charge of annihilating anyone that knows of our existence, understand?"

Fox nodded weakly. "Yes, Vermouth-san."

* * *

**D3ath: Sorry…this is a little on the short side…it's hard to expand on this story…I didn't really realize how complicated this could get…**

**Ed: idiot…**

**Alphonse: review, please!"**


	3. Chapter 3

**D3ath: …it's been a long time, hasn't it?**

**Ed: (muttering under his breath) You kept me locked up in the closet. What the hell's wrong with you?!**

**Al: I'm sure she didn't mean it, right, D3ath-san?**

**D3ath: …actually, I was a little busy…**

**Ed: let me guess—you were lazy.**

**D3ath: No! Actually, if you want to blame someone, blame my mom. She thinks that I spend too much time on the computer, and grounded me off of it when she saw my math grade. Then I had finals, and then the holidays rushed in, and my chocolate consumption increased…anyways, here's the next chapter. Thanks, **_**Giant-Flying-Radish-of-Doom, nataeiy1, and Ziraulo**_** for the reviews!**

**Al: D3ath-san doesn't own us.

* * *

**

**Chapter 3**

Edward groaned, stretching out on the couch in Takagi's apartment. He frowned at the ceiling, and Alphonse shot him a sympathetic look from the table. He was reading the book that Takagi had gotten him; a Japanese-English translation book, and he was almost halfway through the book, a pile of notes beside him.

"Brother, if you're bored, why don't you try watching the TV?" he suggested, looking back down at the book. "Takagi-keiji said that you can use it if you want."

Ed looked up. "He did?" he asked, and Al nodded, frowning in concentration as he mouthed unfamiliar words underneath his breath, stringing the foreign language into sentences.

Ed walked up to the television, frowning for an entirely different matter as he studied the device. How did it work? He pressed a few buttons on the front, and the screen flickered to life with a small _click!_

"Whoa!" Ed yelped, jumping back, and Al's head jerked up.

"Is something wrong, brother?" he asked, and Ed stared at the screen, amazement on his face.

"Al…this is amazing!" he exclaimed, and he pressed another button. The screen flickered, and switched to a new show. "Wow! This is great! I wonder how it works! It's like one of those picture shows that we used to watch at home, but—"

"It's smaller, in color, and more portable?" Al suggested, grinning, and Edward beamed.

"Yeah!" He stopped and stared at his brother. "How'd you know?"

"After you fell asleep, Takagi-keiji watched it, and he explained it to me, when I didn't get it," Al said, smiling at his brother. "It's called a TV, short for Television, and he told me that there were different channels, with different shows. There's also a thing called a remote, and it can change the channels, volume, and setting with just a push of a button. It's wireless too," he added, seeing his brother search the couch for this 'remote'.

Ed was triumphant upon his discovery. "Ah ha!" he exclaimed as he found the remote, and he began to push buttons. The screen changed to a cartoon, then to a game show, then to a show, which happened to be in English. "Hey, this one's in English, Al!"

Al got up from the table, and went over to see what his brother was watching. "It looks like some medieval movie."

"_And now for a commercial break—we'll return to Lord of the Rings in a moment."_

Ed made a face. "Lord of the Rings?" he asked, and Al shrugged.

"Looks interesting."

"I'm going to watch it," the pony-tailed blonde declared, and he settled down, his golden eyes glued to the screen. Al chuckled, and returned to the table, studying.

It was later during the day that Al looked up, to see a strange look on his brother's face.

"Brother? What's wrong?"

Ed looked up, and said, "What the hell's a hobbit?"

Al got up again, and returned to the screen. He studied it for a moment. "Looks like those short people with large feet and curly hair," he said, and he glanced at his brother. "A little like you, in a way—" he began, and Ed erupted.

"I'M NOT A GODDAMNED HOBBIT!! WHO'REYOUCALLINGSOSMALLTHATTHEYCOULDN'TPUSHABUTTONONTHISREMOTE?!!" _(A/N: Trans: Who're you calling so small that they couldn't push a button on this remote?!)_

Al laughed. "I didn't say any of that!" he protested, as Ed calmed down. He smiled. "It's just like the old days, brother."  
Ed's glare softened, and he smiled. "Yes…it is…"

* * *

"I'm going to Agasa-hakase's house!" Conan called, leaving the Mouri residence.

"Make sure you're back in time for dinner!" One Mouri Ran responded, and Conan smiled at the seventeen-year-old girl.

"Hai!" And he took off, pulling out his cellphone as he ran. He dialed it, and waited for a moment as the call went through.

"_Moshi moshi?_" Ai's quite voice said, and he grimaced.

"Haibara, can you get on the computer, and look up soul-binding?"

Ai's voice came back in an exasperated sigh. _"Kudou-kun, I don't think that—"_

"Come on, Haibara, better safe than sorry!"

"…_I'll see what I can do." _She hung up with a click, and Conan looked at his cell phone with a flat-eyed stare. _'Mataku, what's with that woman? She seems to be in a bad mood…'_

He found his answer when he arrived at the Agasa residence. Black smoke wafted out of the windows, and alarmed, he hurried in through the door.

"What's going on?" he demanded, fanning the smoke away from his face. Ai appeared out of the gloom next to him, her face smudged with soot and her hair mussed; so _that's_ what put her in a bad mood…

"Hakase's experiments exploded," she stated in a clipped, precise voice, scowling at the black smoke. "I was going to tell you that it wasn't possible until the smoke was cleared out, but you had to insist," she said sourly, and he grinned sheepishly at her.

"Ai-chan! Can you get the fan from upstairs?" Agasa called from the middle of the smoke, and they could hear his coughing.

"Hai," she said, turning away from Conan. "You can head downstairs…if you can find the door," she added with a smirk. Conan scowled.

Fifteen minutes later found Conan nursing a toe and sitting at the computer, typing away rapidly as he searched for "soul attachments".

Ai came down with some tea, sipping it as she watched.

"This is ridiculous," she said quietly as he clicked on a link. "Most of these would refer to demons, or magic of some sort…"

Conan clicked on another link, and his eyes narrowed as a man's picture came up. It was in black and white, and he had a thick beard, hair pulled back into a ponytail, and glasses as he stared out of the picture. "Or alchemy," he said, frowning as he read the article beneath the picture. "That's odd, I didn't think alchemy applied to something like soul binding. Hmm…Phillipus Von Hohenheim…apparently, he lived during the twentieth century, and disappeared mysteriously before WWII broke out. His son also…went by the name of Edward…Elric…" his eyes widened, in surprise, and he gaped at the screen. "No way…"

Haibara raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Kudou-kun?" she asked, and Conan shook his head.

"Edward Elric…that's the guy that I met yesterday, the one that could be related to the Black Organization…"

Haibara sat up. "That's impossible—he'd be over ninety if that were the case."

"But…look at the picture!" Conan said, scrolling down. It showed a young man with a resemblance to the man above, working on a plane with another young man, one that was named as 'Alphonse Heidrich'. "They're exactly the same!"

Haibara shrugged. "Could be a grandchild," she said, and Conan frowned.

"I highly doubt that," he said, reading the article. "It says that Edward built rockets with Alphonse, and one of the other workers said that "Edward was a strange man—he just came out of nowhere, and disappeared without a word. He did often tell Alphonse about his own brother, and about his home, with wild fantasies of alchemy while they worked." It also says that Alphonse Heidrich had a lung disease, and was later shot by a member of the Thule society, which was known for their beliefs in Shamballa." Conan sat back, folding his arms. "Thule society, Alchemy, and soul binding…" he muttered, and Ai got up, carrying her empty cup.

"It all seems rather weak to me," she said, turning away from the bespectacled boy. "I highly doubt all of that exists today. Besides, even if they were the same person, would they be a member of the syndicate? I don't think it's been around for almost a hundred years. Thirty years, at most. And you mentioned them testing out a plane. I highly doubt the syndicate would be testing out old-fashioned planes in this day and age."

"Oh, that reminds me," Conan said, digging around in his pocket until he pulled out the sample of black substance that he had gotten the day before. "It was on the plane, and Edward didn't know where it came from. Can you study it, and see what it is?"

Ai sighed, and took the handkerchief. "Alright, Kudou-kun, but what's in it for me?"

Conan fixed her with a stare. "Huh?"

"What's in it for me?" she repeated quietly, and Conan floundered, trying to come up with an excuse, when she smirked. "Kidding." And with that last word, and headed up the stairs, leaving Conan gaping after her.

* * *

—Osaka—

Hattori Heiji yawned as he stood with his father in the police station. Despite the fact that he was yawning, he was wired, and ready to go. The criminal they had caught yesterday showed promising signs of being a member of the syndicate, and from what he had said, he went by the codename of "Bear". Heiji was in high spirits when his father turned to him.

"Heiji, I want you to go wait with Otaki-san," he said, but Heiji refused.

"Aw, come on, dad! I want to help interrogate 'im too!" he protested, but his father relented.

"Heiji, this man is a criminal, a murderer! He is incredibly dangerous—"

"I know that, but I want to hear what he has to say, dad!"

"Heiji," Heizo Hattori said quietly, and Heiji shut up. "This man could be part of a large syndicate. I do not want you involved in it in any way."

"Too late," Heiji muttered, but his father heard.

"What?" he asked sharply, and Heiji immediately realized his mistake.

"Ah—nothing!" he exclaimed frantically, waving his hands, and the elder man fixed his son with a hard look. Around them, police bustled, and neither noticed the officer with golden-brown eyes look their way, fingering his gun as he disappeared off into the crowd. An officer had approached, and he fingered nervously with his tie.

"I'll have a talk with you later," he said seriously, and he turned to the officer that had come up to him.

"Hattori-keibu, we went to go bring the man, however…" the officer trailed off, and Heizo fixed him with a stern look.

"Go on," he commanded, and the officer swallowed.

"He's dead—was shot through the temple," he said nervously, and both father and son stared at him.

"Do you have any idea who did it?" he asked, and the officer swallowed.

"We suspect it was one in our own department, but there's no proof," he said, lowering his voice. Hattori Heizo nodded gravely.

"Continue on, but do not mention this to anybody," he ordered, making sure no one heard. The officer saluted.

"Hai!" And with that, he left, glancing around suspiciously.

Heizo frowned, and he placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "Heiji, I want you to tell me everything on the way home, understood?" he said, and Heiji's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Yes sir," he said sullenly. _'Shit, Kudou's goin' to kill me for this…'

* * *

_

**D3ath: and that's the end of the third chapter! Heiji and his big mouth…someone should duct-tape it.**

**Ed: And not for you?**

**Conan: All who agree, say 'aye!'**

**Ed/Conan/Heiji: Aye!**

**D3ath: Traitors, the lot of you! Except Al, of course!**

**Ed: Al, how come you don't agree?!**

**Al: well…D3ath-san isn't all THAT bad…**

**D3ath: Thanks, Al! From now on, you'll be showered with cookies and kittens! Ed, you'll just be force-fed milk.**

**Ed: WHAT—!**

**Al: Thanks for reading, please review!**


End file.
